Vestibular fold
| Vestibular fold | |
|---|---|
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| Laryngoscopic view of the vocal folds. (Vestibular fold labeled at center right.) | |
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| Coronal section of larynx and upper part of trachea. | |
| Latin | Plica vestibularis, plica ventricularis |
| Gray's | subject #236 1079 |
The vestibular fold (ventricular fold, superior or false vocal cord) is one of two thick folds of mucous membrane, each enclosing a narrow band of fibrous tissue, the ventricular ligament, which is attached in front to the angle of the thyroid cartilage immediately below the attachment of the epiglottis, and behind to the antero-lateral surface of the arytenoid cartilage, a short distance above the vocal process.
The lower border of this ligament, enclosed in mucous membrane, forms a free crescentic margin, which constitutes the upper boundary of the ventricle of the larynx.
The vestibular folds of the larynx play a greater role in keeping food and drink out of the airway, breathing, and phonation (speech).[1] People who have had their epiglottis removed because of cancer do not choke any more than when it was present.[citation needed]
They have a minimal role in normal phonation, but are often used to produce deep sonorous tones in Tibetan chant and Tuvan throat singing,[2] as well as in musical screaming and the death growl singing style used in various forms of metal.
They are lined with respiratory epithelium, while true vocal cords have stratified squamous epithelium.
Additional images
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The entrance to the larynx, viewed from behind.
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Cut through the larynx of a horse
See also
References
- ↑ Vestibular fold flap for post-cordectomy laryngeal reconstruction; Mamede, Ricz, Aguiar-Ricz, Mello-Filho; Abstract
- ↑ Fuks, Leonardo (1998), From Air to Music: Acoustical, Physiological and Perceptual Aspects of Reed Wind Instrument Playing and Vocal-Ventricular Fold Phonation, Stockholm, Sweden, retrieved 2010-01-05
External links
- Vestibular+fold at eMedicine Dictionary
- lesson11 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (larynxsagsect, larynxmembranes)
- rsa3p14 at the University of Michigan Health System - "Larynx, lateral view"
- rsa3p15 at the University of Michigan Health System - "Larynx, laryngoscopic view"
- Organology at UC Davis respiratory/airways/larynx1/larynx4
This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
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